published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The present paper is a literature study of stressors and the responses in police officers to occupational stressors. It endeavors to identify and assess common stressors in policing. It further aims to provide an answer to the question of whether police administrative tasks and situations, or the dangerous and traumatic events and situations inherent in policing, are perceived as equally or more stressful by surveyed police officers. The question is relevant as there seems to be disagreement among researchers on police stress about which elements (administrative or dangerous and/or traumatic) of the police occupation is more stressful. Much attention has been given to the treatment of post-traumatic stress in police officers while efforts to prevent administrative or organizational stressors have been largerly ignored. If administrative stressors in policing are equally important as dangerous and traumatic situations and events, more attention should be given to the prevention of such largerly preventable stressful events. The theoretical framework used in the study is that of the transactional concept of stress. In trying to assess what parts of policing are more stressful, a number of empirical studies were examined and compared. Most studies applied a "checklist" approach to identify and rank the heaviest stressors in police work. The methodological quality of available studies was varied, influencing their comparability and generalizability. In spite of these inequalities, the results from the assessment indicates that dangerous and traumatic situations are somewhat more often perceived as the largest stressors than administrative stressors in police work.

M. Tech. Policing / Struggling with stress, anxiety and/or depression can adversely affect work performance. This study aimed to determine how levels of Emotional Intelligence were related to levels of overall stress, anxiety or depression.

M.A. / Policing is regarded as one of the most stressful occupations that often results in psychiatric disorders, marital problems and/or divorce, alcohol abuse and suicide. The aim of Social Work Services in the South African Police Service is to promote, achieve and maintain optimum social functioning, in order to improve the productivity of the organisation’s members. Keeping the above mentioned problems in mind, the marital experience of police members needed to be explored, especially since statistics regarding marital problems in the South African Police Service are high compared to other social problems. This study was undertaken to explore the marital experience of members of the SAPS, and to provide social workers and other members of the helping professions in the SAPS, with relevant information when they are engaged in service delivery to police members. The following objectives were set for the study: • The completion of a literature study on marriage • The exploration of the SAPS culture and frame of reference concerning marital experience, within the geographical area of Trichart, Evander, Kinross and Secunda (TEKS-area), Mpumalanga. • The identification of factors that can have an influence on the marital life of members of the SAPS. The nature of the study was both exploratory and descriptive. Eighty-one (81) members of the SAPS completed a questionnaire exploring this phenomenon. The data captured were processed quantitatively. The data gathered in the study can be of significance for all members of the helping professions, as well as the functional members of the SAPS. The ideal would be to integrate the data and results obtained into individual work with members, groupwork, as well as in community work (reactive and pro-active programmes) with the following objectives: • To provide members of the SAPS with the necessary information to prepare themselves for marriage (by means of pro-active programmes specifically aimed at this). • Supporting and enriching the marital relationship of couples with a healthy marriage. • Assisting problem-orientated couples with the integration of new constructive methods of marital functioning. / Prof. C.B. Fouche

The purpose of this study was to establish the frequency of problems that members of Police Force X experience or have experienced, and to determine which source of counselling the members of Police Force X would prefer most for each problem. A single stage sample design was used for this study. Two hundred non-commissioned police officers were randomly selected and were mailed a questionnaire through the police department's in-house mail system. One hundred and fifteen police officers returned completed and usable questionnaires. With the exception of an under representation of female police officers, the sample was representative of the population. The analysis of data showed that the five most frequent problems reported by the respondents were anxiety that interferes with the enjoyment of life, alcohol abuse, depression, financial problems, marital problems and sleep disturbance (these problems are presented in alphabetical order, and not in order of frequency). Further, for thirteen of fifteen presented problems the majority of respondents selected outside psychiatrist or psychologist as the most preferred source of counselling. For the problem of boredom and alienation members were equally divided between outside psychiatrist or psychologist and peer counselling as the most preferred source of counselling. The study concluded with a discussion of practical implications and recommendations for further research were presented. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The present study evaluated the effect of the Continuous Stress Intervention Programme (CSIP) on trauma symptoms and coping strategies. The programme was implemented with a group of police officers from a specialised unit who daily experience extremely difficult and at times traumatic work conditions. Data was gathered before and after the implementation of the CSIP. A quasi - experimental design approach was adopted with a control group who had no intervention and an intervention- experimental group, who participated in the programme. Data was gathered from questionnaires with instruments that measured trauma symptomatology and coping strategies, both in the pre- and post -intervention periods. The control group consisted of eight police officers, while the experimental group consisted of 24 police officers. Data was analysed using a frequency count of scores, and a mixed between-within analysis of variance, using the SPSS (Version 11) statistical computer package. The results of the study showed that the Continuous Stress Intervention programme did not have a significant effect between the experimental and control groups, on trauma symptoms, but the trauma symptoms of the experimental group decreased from the pre- assessment to the post -assessment at a greater rate. In addition, in terms of the coping responses, the results of the study were significant for only one of the sub - scales, between the experimental and control groups, while there was an increase in positive coping strategies for the experimental group. The results were discussed in terms of epidemiological studies conducted previously in the area of trauma research. Recommendations were made pertaining to the inclusion of support mechanisms for the spouses of police officers, as well as the inclusion of coping strategies to deal with specific organisational problems within the programme. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Thesis (M. A. (Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2017. / This study endeavours to identify and describe the stress experiences of South African Police Personnel (SAPS) in a specific municipal area. The components of stress and related coping mechanisms are of particular interest in policing as much research indicates that officers suffer from stress related illnesses. The research was thus undertaken to determine what type of stressors affect police officers in the Greater Tzaneen Municipal Area, Limpopo Province, and what type of coping strategies they use. A quantitative approach utilising a cross sectional survey design was used for the investigation. Stratified random sampling was used to draw the sample of SAPS officers from the different police stations in Greater Tzaneen Municipal Area. Data was collected by means of questionnaires namely the Police Stress Inventory (PSI) and the Coping Inventory (COPE). Ethical considerations, as required by the University of Limpopo, were followed. Results included the fact that of the top ten stressors five were organisational stressors. This finding suggests that the South African Police Services in this area must provide interventions that reduce the effects of work related stressors. They should also recruit more female officers as the gender disparity is a notable one. Results suggest that no matter what age, religion, language, gender, marital status and rank, all respondents are alike in terms of the use of Avoidant Coping strategies. These are used to some degree however; the majority of respondents use Problem Focused Coping strategies together with Emotionally Focused Coping strategies. This suggests that the sample was able to handle negative stressors in a positive manner. It was concluded that a police force that reflects the general demographic of the area is more likely to provide a community driven workforce

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This paper examines some causes of strain and frustration among police officers. Previous research suggests that police officers sufferfromthe lack of communication and support from their community. The failure of communication has caused turmoil in the past between communities and their police. A possible solution is community policing. Community policing is supposed to establish communication between the public and the police. Causes of strain and frustration among the police are discussed along with the possible benefits of community policing. Research has shown that community police officers suffer less strain and frustration than their brethren. On this premise a quantitative examination a police force in Northumbria, England was conducted. The quantitative analysis focuses on two groups; community police officers and police officers not involved in community policing.

A group of veteran police officers was studied in relation to the effectiveness of a stress reduction program which utilized a cognitive-behavioral approachto training. A new instrument, the Coulson Police Job Stress Discussionaire, (CPJSD), was field tested. Two control groups, a veteran group who received no stress reduction training and an academy group which received standard basic training but not the stress reduction program, were compared on pre—test and post-test Profile of Mood States (POMS) mood disturbance cores. Contrary to the main hypothesis formulated, there were no significant differences found between the three groups on post-test POMS measures of mood disturbance when compared with pre-test measures. The construct validity of the POMS for use with police officers is challenged. The specific format utilized is discussed and suggestions are offered for future study design. Specific difficulties inherent in the study of police groups are examined. The usefulness of the CPJSD for police job stress reduction program is suggested, as is the need for further field testing of this instrument.